August 31, 2013

You might be aware of the threats that can cause complete collapse of society, but what are the main threats after society has collapsed? Here are the top 17 threats that will be present in any collapse of society. This does not include a continuation of any of the possible causes (e.g. nuclear winter, pandemic). I've listed them in order of least threatening to most threatening. Depending on your situation, your threats could be in a different order.

17) PACKS OF DOGS
Some dogs will get loose and survive. They will return to their primal instincts. They'll eat house cats and dead bodies. Not a major threat, but you might come across them. They could have rabies and parasites. They might go after your chickens and rabbits.

16) CITY FIRES
There won't be any firefighters around to put out fires. There will be explosions as people abandon their jobs and people will be using fire to cook and get warm. Fires are bound to start. Once they do, no one will put them out. I estimate 70% of cities will burn. These are also a low threat, because you should have bugged out before this happens. However, it will cause consequential threats as we will see below.

15) CHILLED TEMPERATURES
As a result of city fires and forest fires that will rage out of control with no one to put them out, we can expect a mild nuclear winter. The sun will be blocked out by all the smoke, so we will get chilled temperatures. This makes survival more harsh and grow seasons will shrink.

14) DISEASES
With lack of hygiene, lack of clean water, no vaccinations, no treatments, no mosquito abatement programs, diseases will surely be on the rise. We can certainly expect third-world type diseases to enter developed countries. In the US, malaria and West Nile Virus will spread. Sexual Transmitted Diseases will spread into certain communities. If you get sick, treatment will be hard to find. Your best advantage will be to stay isolated and drink clean water.

13) THIEVES
There will be plenty of common thieves. When there's not enough food to go around, people turn to a life of crime. If they find your camp, it could result in gunfights. If you're lucky, they will just steal and leave. If you're luckier, you can catch them and exact punishment. If you're luckier-er, you can catch them, utilize them for hard labor, and eventually they join your alliance (Remember, a lot of these people would have never stolen anything pre-collapse). If you're luckiest, you'll be in a position so hidden, that you never have to deal with thieves.

12) AIR POLLUTION (ASH)
As forests and cities burn, the air will be polluted with poisonous gases and tons of ash that will rain down for months in some locations. Try to bug out to a location that is not downwind of cities and forests. All this pollution will be bad for your lungs and cause sickness and induce asthma attacks for some people. PLUS, it will rain down on your crops. A layer of ash that falls onto leaves will prevent photosynthesis from happening. You might need to grow your plants under plastic or dust off your crops every morning around 9am.

11) APOSTATE MILITARY GROUPS
You've probably considered the possibility of gangs or warlords rising to power, but you should also consider this possibility too. I expect most military guys to abandon their posts or be dismissed by their superiors to go home and be with their loved ones. However, some of these guys will be on base thousands of miles from home and won't make it back. They will also be forward thinking and realize that it is going to get ugly quick. I believe there will be some good military groups, some bad military groups, and some in between military goups that band together and survive. Some examples of this have shown up in film (28 Days Later and Revolution on NBC). I think most of the military groups that survive will be good, but we can't eliminate the possibility of apostate military groups who use their superior weapons and training to rise to power. We love our military, but let's be honest, there are a lot of young guys in there who simply don't have the morals and values necessary. Hopefully, these apostate groups become rivals to the cartels and prison gangs.

10) HUMAN HORDES
Zombies everywhere! That's what they will be like when they evacuate cities as the water turns off and conditions deteriorate. I have love for my fellow man, but they will be like locusts looking for anything to eat. We would help them if we could, and we might be able to help some, but we can't help everybody. And obviously FEMA won't be able to do that. So, the natural result is that they are a threat. Your best bet is to try and avoid them, so you don't even have to deal with the pain and suffering.

9) DROUGHT
As a result of the constant smoky skies, we will see a mild nuclear winter. Weather patterns and climates will change for a year or two. I think this will result in a temporary drought in many places. That's bad news for crops and possibly your anticipated water source.

8) STARVATION
If you are reading this, you are probably somewhat involved in the prepper movement. Still, s*%t happens to the best of us. Our food can be stolen. Our crops might fail. Animals will be hunted to the brink of extinction and bodies of water will be over-fished. There could be some unknown factor as well. Starvation is still a threat.

7) FLOODS
Our water ways and irrigation systems are very complex and require continual human control. Right now, our current levels of water flow require water being drawn out for human and agricultural use. When water is no longer drawn out for these purposes, we can assume that rivers, streams, lakes, deltas, and water tables will return to pre-human levels. Levees and damns won't be able to hold the excess water. Water breaching will happen in many different locations. Also, as the years pass, damns will begin to break and kill many people in flash floods. This is just another reason why the mountains are all the more attractive post-apocalypse. For additional help with this issue, take a look at the USGS 100 year flood maps, so you can see what areas are in danger.

6) STREET GANGS
They are currently a form of organized crime. Unlike the police, national guard, and military, who will largely disband and be with their families, gangs will likely coalesce and be strengthened. They will have the weapons and numbers. It will only take a week or two, before they begin systematically looting and stockpiling food. They will be deadly and dangerous.

5) FOREST FIRES
As spoken of already, these will happen. Most of them will be started accidentally by people who are learning to cook on open fire and warm themselves with fire. Yep, it's a brand new concept for some people. Not only will they cause all the atmospheric and crop problems, but they can cause direct problems. If you bug out to the forest, which is basically what I recommend, you might have to deal with forest fires. If the forest is your lifeline for foraging, hunting, and camouflage, it could be taken away from you. More startling is the fact that a forest fire can come upon you with very little warning. It might be 4am and all of a sudden there is increased wind and an orange glow outside. You might not have time to grab all your supplies. Be aware of all the bodies of water in every direction, but especially downwind and uphill of your current position, so that you can jump in and take cover in a worst case scenario.

4) PRISON GANGS
Similar to street gangs, but these guys are usually more violent and deadly. In a collapsed society, most likely these guys will be released or escape at the same time. They will be far from their loved ones, so most won't try to find their families. These guys will transform into raiding, looting, raping gangs in less than a day. Bug out to a location that is far from any prison. Heck, they might even make their former prison, their new HQ. It has great defenses after all.

3) NUCLEAR RADIATION AND FALLOUT
From the talk I've seen about nuclear power plants, it seems the consensus is that there is a real concern of nuclear power plants going into nuclear meltdown when society collapses. This will cause the contamination of water nearby and the wind will carry lethal radiation 100 miles downwind. With dozens of nuclear power plants in the US, nuclear radiation and fallout becomes a serious threat. Do not try to survive near a nuclear power plant or downwind of one. If nuclear radiation and fallout is a top threat without bombs being dropped, imagine how much of a threat it would be if there was a nuclear war.

2) WARLORDS
Warlords and their militias will rise up. They could have a criminal background or not, but the main difference from these guys and other gangs is that the warlord will be an intelligent man who adapts and thrives in a post-apocalyptic world. They will also learn to be ruthless.

1) DRUG CARTELS
Public enemy #1 will be the drug cartels. These cartels are currently the largest illegitimate organization in North America. When the military, national guard, police, and border patrol dissolve, cartels will have nobody standing in their way. They will spill over the border like nobody's business. They will establish strongholds in LA, Phoenix, and San Antonio. They are already accustomed to savage crimes. They behead people in Mexico on a regular basis. In a post-apocalyptic world, drug cartels will be like kids in a candy store. They will have the numbers, the guns, the ruthless mentality, the intelligence, and the pre-established networks. They will roll over entire areas and become the first evil empires.

August 24, 2013

This could be a great idea for a bug out shelter or a bunker for your backyard. It is a fabric that has concrete mix meshed into the fabric. You blow it up to a round strong position, wet it, and let it dry. 24 hrs later, you have a concrete shelter that will last about 20 years. I emailed the US distributor and they said they cost between $20,000 and $30,000. There are 2 sizes: 25 sq meters and 50 sq meters.

I'm envisioning the possibility of bugging out with one of these and setting it up in a national or state park once society has collapsed, haha! I likely wouldn't have enough electricity to blow it up as required, so I'm thinking I would use a series of pvc pipes that can brace it up into the round shape it is supposed to be. Anyways, watch these videos. They are awesome.

August 17, 2013

You can't get rich if you're dead. They key is isolation, knowledge, and supplies.

STEP 2 COMMUNITY

Be part of a community that is surviving, honest, stable, growing, but most importantly, is secure. A man can't get rich by living as a hermit. Being isolated for the first year or two is good, but begin to form a community after that. Society is necessary for economic prosperity. It's also very hard to get rich in a community where there is constantly a fear of theft, so at least within your community, there needs to be a sense of mutual security. This will be lost for most of the world, so your community will need to hold on to it OR revive it. Keep in mind that the basic prerequisite for this mutual security is that everyone's basic needs are met, so your community needs to be surviving well.

STEP 3 TRADE NETWORK

Become part of a trade network when they open up a few years after the collapse. Maybe you can initiate this yourself, but it will be dangerous, especially if you rush it. (See my blogs on Forming Alliances and seeing other people after society collapsed) This will basically start out as armed caravans, like humans have done for thousands of years. At first, trade routes will be foot trails through the woods between trusted communities. Later, they will be along roads, rivers, the coast, and maybe some railroads. Trade allows for you to buy and sell goods with others. You can acquire what you don't have and they can acquire what they don't have. Most trades will be the kind that simply make life more pleasant -- different foods and decorations. However, some trades will be the kind that help society develop. For example, let's say one community has secured spare metal and they are making quality windmills. Whoever joins their trade community will be able to purchase a windmill from them and dramatically advance their own society. If other communities sell seeds, gasoline, batteries, horses, plows, scale sets, etc. you can see where this goes. Everybody advances together and benefits. Also, ideas spread and large alliances form, which is also key to economic prosperity. At some point, these networks will have a new currency and banking systems, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

STEP 4 CAREER

There are many careers you can choose that will make you rich after society collapses:

STOCKPILER - Perhaps the easiest way to get rich, at least initially after the collapse, is to stockpile NOW what others will need POST-COLLAPSE. It can start with small barter items, but if you really want to be the new Sam Walton, you should stockpile much more. Stockpile as much of the long-term survival items as possible. Get multiple shipping containers. Stuff them with survival items. Bury them in strategic locations in your region. After the collapse, you can dig up these containers and sell the goods. Not only will you get rich, but you'll literally save lives.

FISH FARMER - Set up large ponds and aquaponics systems. Fish like tilapia reproduce fast. They can quickly grow to large numbers and provide lots of food. You can sell the fish and you will do well. However, when it comes to raising animals and other low-skill industries, my suggestion is to start that industry, but hand it off to the community to do it themselves. Allow others to create their own ponds and raise their own fish, while you move on to another career, perhaps a caravan merchant. My reasoning for this is that raising animals to large numbers is something that will benefit whole communities and whole regions. If you can raise your community and network to a level where everyone easily has enough food, it will allow everyone to advance as a society to create opportunities to make even more money somehow. If all you do for the rest of your life is have your pond and sell fish to your neighbors, you are missing out on bigger opportunities. It's better to grow the pie than be obsessed with taking most of the pie.

RABBIT FARMER - Raise rabbits. Like tilapia, they reproduce fast and provide excellent meat. Not a lot of supplies are needed. Again, it's best to get this industry started and then release it to the community to move on to a better career.

LARGE ANIMAL BREEDER - If you can secure and keep safe goats, sheep, cows, horses, etc. after the collapse, you will be well situated to make money and help people at the same time. Most horses and cows won't survive the collapse. Many will be stolen and eaten. Most dairies and herds of cattle will be targeted by the hungry masses. If you can keep a group of them safe and continue to breed them, you can sell them and do well. Horses will be the primary transportation for many people. If you can breed horses and train them, you will be a tremendously important person. You'll get rich from that!

PERFUME MAKER - Soap will run out. Deodorant will run out. Baking soda will run out. It won't be long before everyone smells like sasquatch's armpits. Perfume is fairly easy to make. Plant flowers in your bugout location. Have hundreds of glass vials and atomizer bottles with you. Sell perfume. Make money. Make women happy (and men).

SOAP MAKER - This is valuable for the same reasons, plus hygiene is necessary to avoid deadly diseases. The process is a little harder than making perfume. We won't have manufactured lye to use, so you'll have to go primitive by using white wood ash and animal fat. If you can master the skill of making soap, it will be so helpful to everyone and you'll make easy money. Carve your insignia on the soaps and trade them far and wide. It will help to establish report with people everywhere, so that when communities begin to unite into small nations, they will look favorably on you and your community. "Oh we use your soap! Thanks so much. We had no idea how to make soap."

CASH CROP - Apart from your basic crops to eat, there are certain crops which can be cash crops. Often times, these are the crops that are bought and sold as commodities on the market today. They usually have a secondary or tertiary use, because they can be processed, stored, and used for that purpose later. Here's some ideas: sugar cane, sugar beets, corn (food, oil, create ethanol), soy (food, oil, fuel), plants with soft toilet paper-like leaves (suggestions?), alfalfa/hay (horses), fruit trees (dehydrate and trade), cotton (clothes), wheat, coffee, tobacco (but please don't).

EQUIPMENT RENTALS - Get pieces of equipment that will be useful later. You can rent them out or lease them to people. Treadle sewing machines, backhoes (if you have the gas for it), bicycles, farm tools, weaving looms, Biolite Stoves, horses and plows, wagons, dirt bikes, foot pumps, etc.

TRAVELLING SERVICEMAN - You can travel from community to community and provide a service to them for a fee. You can: drill wells, dig fish ponds, build chicken coupes, enhance their security perimeter, be a doctor, be a dentist, build windmills, electrify villages, fix machines, etc. Travelling from place to place is dangerous, but if you do something like this, you'll be like the new age Johnny Appleseed. Your efforts will really help to make life better and grow economies in your wake.

TRAVELLING INSTRUCTOR - Similar to a serviceman, but instead of creating things for them, you can teach them to survive and improve their lives. Teach them how to hunt, make soap, raise fish, raise animals, plant crops, catch water, purify water, heat water, store food, rig solar panels, dig irrigation canals, etc. If you find yourself teaching them the more basic skills, they probably don't have much to offer you, but if they are a more advanced group that is ready to learn more advanced skills, they can probably pay you more. Again, this will tremendously boost economies and come back around to help you one day. I suppose this is similar to what volunteers in the Peace Corps do.

TRAVELLING MOVIE THEATER - Travel with solar panels, a battery unit, laptop, speakers, projector, canvas, and DVDs. Charge people to watch your movies! It will be awesome and FUN! You can also show them video messages from the other communities and news stories of what's going on there. It will let people know they are not alone and there are other good people out there surviving as well. It will be news and entertainment.

PHARMACIST - Pharmacies will be gone and all modern drugs will be used up quickly. If you can have a garden of medicinal plants and create the bests herbal/natural remedies possible, you can get rich. Anyone can grow a tomato plant, but few people know what medicinal plants to grow and how to prepare and apply their medicine.

CARAVAN MERCHANT - Venice got rich because they engaged in ocean trade. You can do the same. Once trade networks are established and minor production has begun, such as many of the things mentioned here, soap, horses, medicine, sugar, salt, seeds, oil, ammunition, you can engage in full-fledged caravan trade. You'll get rich. At some point, you'll get so rich that you can just send others out on the caravans and you can stay home where it is safe.

BOOKSTORE OWNER - You can sell booklets that contain information about how to do certain things that will benefit people. It is best to stockpile these booklets now. You can also print them out post-collapse if you have the means. Survivalsage.com can help you out with this process, as it has many valuable articles, booklets, and manuals. Or you could just be nice and give them out for free to help your community and network advance, while you move on to a better career.

AMMUNITION MILLER - Ammo will be in high demand post-collapse. Preppers are usually prepared for this, but rations will get low at some point. Preppers will only make up the minority of the good guys who will survive. Also, what if we have to fight a war against the drug cartels and prison gangs? If you store the equipment and materials to produce ammo, you can get rich. But make sure to only sell ammo to the good guys. No Destros here!

GOLD SMITH - If you have the equipment and can learn how to refine, test, weigh, and shape gold (and other precious metals), you can make lots of money. You can also bring flexibility and stability to an economy by ensuring the public the accurate value of gold and silver. Most people can't just look at a gold bracelet and tell what karat it is and the market value. You can learn to do that and be prepared for post-collapse life.

INFRASTRUCTURE NOBLEMAN - If you can secure and operate an important piece of infrastructure that has value post-collapse, you will get rich and be a blessing to all of us. For example, if you secure some oil rigs and are able to operate them and then also refine the oil, you can be the first tycoon post-collapse. Other examples might be: hydro power plant (Be realistic. Don't go for Hoover Dam or Niagara Falls. Go for something small.), solar power plants and electrical grids, mines, salt evaporation fields, etc. BEWARE: Only secure and operate these infrastructures if you are sure you can keep them under control. We don't want you to get a solar power plant and electrical grid in operation only to have the Zeta drug cartel take it away from you. That will be a major blow to all the upright citizens and will likely add a decade or two to the reign of the bad guys, before the good guys can rise to power.

ALL OF THE ABOVE - Why choose only one career? You can prepare and learn how to fill each of these roles. If you can do that, you'll be super rich. It also makes you flexible based on what is needed most.

AMBASSADOR FRANCHISER - I think I just made this term up, but in order to do this, you should prepare to do multiple careers. Then, when society collapses, you will spend time training apprentices under one trade. When they are ready, you will send them to another community to do their trade there. You will lend them the animals/supplies they need and they will in turn pay you a portion of their income or a flat rate. Additional incentive will be that if they do well and meet their end of the deal, you will train them in another trade to grow their business even more. This idea might not work depending on the career and the people you are dealing with.

STEP 5 REFLECT

Finally, reflect on why you want to become rich. Some greed is ok, but I hope it will be to make earth a more livable place. You will have more responsibility. Will you work to revive a civil society or do you just want to get rich? Will you hire a private militia and declare yourself king? Will you fight against warlords and drug cartels? What political system will you help to shape? What judicial system will you help to establish? I'm grateful that most preppers are really great people with good family values. Hopefully you guys rise to power and your morals remain intact. It will be a trying time for everyone and we can never know for sure how we will react.

August 15, 2013

I know the castle isn't finished yet and they've probably thought about a lot of these features, but here's what I would do to add to the defense of the castle.

Click on the pictures for larger images.

ROAD BLOCKS - Prepare boulders that can roll onto the road leading to the castle. Don't put them close to the castle. Do this far away from the castle. Or you can use other items or just blow some large craters that make them impassible. As soon as everybody is accounted for, block the road.

SILENT INFRARED PERIMETER ALARM SYSTEM - This gives you a heads up so there's no surprise. Once the alarm goes off, call everybody inside the castle into battle positions. Usually, they won't know they've tripped an alarm.

NO TRESSPASSING SIGNS - If it were my castle, I would place these around the perimeter of the castle at the point at which the castle becomes visible. I would write something like, "NO TRESSPASSING. TRESSPASSORS AND THIEVES WILL BE SHOT. TO REQUEST A FRIENDLY ALLIANCE, STEP INTO THE OPEN UNARMED, WAVING A WHITE FLAG."

FALSE COVERS - Fill sandbags with sand and shrapnel. Place them in a location where the attackers will take cover. However, on the castle side, at the base of these sandbags, place explosives that will detonate when shot, like Tannerite (or remote detonated). You want your attackers to take cover in these places. Once they are there, boom.

UNDERGROUND ESCAPE TUNNEL - In a worst case scenario, you can escape through this tunnel. Make sure the exit from the tunnel is not visible and place locked gates or some kind of obstruction to prevent attacks from the tunnel.

TRENCH WITH SPIKES - It's a cheap and effective barrier. About 10 ft. wide is good.

BARB WIRE - Another great barrier. If it is placed right next to the trench, the barriers will multiply their effectiveness.

HINGED GROUND BOARDS - This is a good idea for wherever there is a gap in your barriers -- choke points. As you retreat into your castle, you can swing these things down and they will have spikes on them to fill in the barrier gap. You can also add explosives to the front of them, like claymores or more Tannerite/shrapnel sandbags.

MOAT/PONDS - Used for thousands of years for a reason. The only reason I don't have one moat that goes all the way around is to keep the gene pool of the fish separate in order to prevent diseases from spreading or to allow for different species. I would also put the moat a little further from the castle in order that if people get next to the walls, you can drop oil and fire on the attackers without worrying about polluting your fish ponds. Or avoid these complexities by making it a true moat and put your fish ponds elsewhere.

MURAL/BLINDS - Your defense is great, but with the big castle at the top of the hill, it means you are also visible. How far can you see from the top of the castle? That's how far people can see you. I'm in the mindset that it's better to avoid conflicts than risk death, even if it is a small risk. People will get curious and desperate and some will steal and attack. At some point post collapse, having a huge fort at the top of the hill is ideal, but for the first 5-20 years, it can attract problems. I suggest camouflaging the castle and adding treetop blinds to help eliminate your profile that stands in contrast to the rest of the forest.

SWIVEL SLINGSHOTS - Having these large swivel slingshots bolted in place will extend your range for launching molotov cocktails and bombs.

BUCKETS OF FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS - For as long as people have been sieging castles, the castle defenders have been pouring tar on them and lighting them on fire. It's one of your best up-close defenses. Use molotov cocktails or flares to set them on fire.

MOLOTOV COCKTAILS - These can be thrown or launched at enemies approaching or used to hit people at the base of the castle. Just be careful up there and don't mess up.

GUNS - Obvious. But store them inside or keep them waterproofed on the roof. If you can get some machine guns mounted up there, that would be great. I would easily replace slingshots with turrets anyday.

PIPE BOMBS - If you use more than just guns, your attackers will get more scared. The combination of gunfire, false covers, molotov cocktails, and pipe bombs will cause much more fear.

August 12, 2013

Everyone's survival supplies are going to be different depending on the scenario. Here's my scenario for this list:

Complete, long-term collapse of society. Bug out to mountains. 5 - 6,000 ft elevation. Temperate climate. Not super cold. Some snow in the winter, but not much. This list is for 1 person, but it is also assuming that this person may add numbers to his group. So for more people, just multiply the items or get larger items when necessary. Doesn't take into account the needs of females, infants, elderly, or handicapped people. Be sure to add your medications to this list if you have any. Clothes are assumed and not listed, except for some accessory type clothes. Some of the items are actually lists within a list, like the first aid kit, tool set, or doctor's toolbag, etc. I would be bugging out with this stuff, so large vehicles and trailers are valuable, but there is an option of taking multiple trips or pre-storing this stuff in your bug-out location. For a better visual of this list, you can watch this survival supplies video.

--LISTED IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE--

all purpose survival knife

Fire starter

assorted seeds and beans (something to grow for every season if possible, also sprouts (alfalfa, soy, mung), asparagus, medicinal plants, and cash crops)

Nothing more I can think of is really worth bringing. Just go back and double up on the most important items, barter items, and items most likely to break. Or add major infrastructure facilities/equipment/materials, like refinery equipment, large radio towers, storage warehouses, backhoes, bulldozers, wood pallets, etc, but this is really the kind of stuff you would need to have at your bug out location beforehand.

Here are some helpful questions to consider in creating your own list:

How long will it last?

Can you make it instead?

Can you scavenge it instead?

Is it a need or want?

Is there a better alternative?

What is the value/space ratio? (flint high value, small space; wood stove mid-high value, large space)

Is there a manual and a powered version of it? If so, get both, as long as you can power it.

Stuff you don't need:

gas stove

regular batteries (Except for the ones that you already happen to have at home. You can bring those.)

matches (Likewise, you can bring whatever you happen to have at home.)

water stored at home (since you’ll be bugging out, but you might want to do it as a favor for a neighbor)